Back in April, we received the iLs Total Home Focus program to try out for several weeks. And now we’re ready to share our results with you all!

If you’ve ever considered music therapy for ADHD, learn about how our experience with Integrated Listening Systems worked out!

Disclosure: I received access to this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

What is Music Therapy for ADHD?

To get the full details about music therapy for ADHD and how it works, visit the Integrated Listening Systems website for information. iLs has been used at some of the top clinics in the world that provide treatment for learning problems and the company also offers in-home therapy programs, including the Total Home Focus program. Since we’re trying to avoid medication (for now), the program, which uses movement and activity, was a wonderful option for us.

The Total Home Focus Program comes with everything you see above. For more about what each item is, see our initial post about getting started with iLS. But to summarize: It’s a therapy program that includes classical and ambient music for kids (and adults) to listen to as they relax or do guided motor skills exercises.

The real secret sauce is the bone conduction headphones that let you actually feel the music in your body. It’s a great immersive experience and it helps to focus attention on the music, rather than being distracted by everything else (which often happens to people with ADHD).

Since Pooh has had long-standing sleep issues related to ADHD, iLs graciously allowed us to try out the Dreampad as well. It’s a special pillow that uses bone conduction to relax and ease you into sleep while playing ambient music.

Once I hook it up, he’s usually out like a light. This is the same boy that typically awakens with enormous bags under his eyes in the morning. He asks to use the Dreampad every night.

How Music Therapy Helped Our Family

Many families have been helped by using the iLs Total Home Focus Program. Here’s our experience:

Week 1: I focused on starting Roo with the program first. He’s our six-year-old and his ADHD is the most severe. He has extreme trouble sitting still for any length of time. He has serious mood swings and he can be a big sensory seeker, crashing and bumping into things on purpose.

I learned that he hating simply sitting still and listening to music, so I tried to give him a simple and quiet activity to do while he listened: drawing.

Week 2: Roo still wasn’t a huge fan of the program. When I’d tell him to get the headset, he’d give me the “Aw, Mom!” routine. During week 2, I changed up his activity, letting him play with Unifix cubes instead of drawing. He seemed to do better with those.

Week 3: During Week 3, I introduced Pooh to the program. His temperament is very different from Roo. He’s content to sit quietly and read while listening. Interestingly, he said that his playlist made him feel sad, so I changed up the tracks a bit.

Week 4: Our home coach recommended that we hold off on the exercises until the kids were more accustomed to the program, so we started with them gradually in week 4. I gave Roo the balance board to practice Balance Board Sitting – an exercise from the Early Developmental Program. He actually liked it! Plus, it kept him still for 5 minutes straight!

Week 5: Tigger, who’s 11, doesn’t really care for doing an activity as she listens to the music. She’d rather just lie back on her bed and listen quietly. Since she has struggled with coordination issues for some time, I’m really anxious for her to start with the exercises, but our home coach told me not to push the exercises with the kids, so I’m not. I think she’ll want to try them on her own in time.

Week 6: In Week 6, I found that the kids have got to be separated when one is doing therapy. Otherwise, they start to talk and chatter over the music and the whole point of the therapy is lost. Since all three are using the program, they take turns going to their rooms or to the dining room table ALONE to listen and work. Live and learn.

Week 7: Roo was ready to try some of the other exercises in his program, so we added a few that used the enclosed beanbags.

What happens when you hand a sensory seeker a beanbag? He immediately squeezes it to his face, proclaiming how much he loves how it feels.

One of the exercises we tried this week was called “Drop, Catch, and Under Leg”. It works on coordination, especially with crossing the midline. Roo is ambidextrous, so he’ll just switch hands when he has to cross his midsection. This exercise helped him work on using both hands on both sides. He liked it because it reminded him of dribbling a basketball.

We also tried the “Dog Walk”. Roo crawled from one end of the room to the other while attempting to keep a beanbag on his back. We added difficulty by having him close his eyes, based on the exercise suggestions. When he did that, he instantly started crawling crooked. We will definitely keep practicing this exercise for a while.

Week 8: This week is week 8 and Roo has adjusted well to using the program regularly. He even asks if he can do his music therapy in the morning! I cannot tell you how much that helps me, because he wakes up first and he often becomes restless and noisy, which disturbs his siblings. Now, he gets up quietly, asks for his headphones, and goes to the table to listen and do a quiet activity. It’s a big change.

Why We Loved the iLS Total Home Focus Program:

• It’s customizable. You can adapt the program to what is best for your child. After we filled out our initial assessment, our home coach suggested a program for each child to follow based on his or her needs. Then I adjusted as I saw fit. Roo couldn’t handle more than 30 minutes per session. Tigger, though, could do a full hour at a time.
• There is plenty of support. Our personal home coach Sharon was wonderfully helpful. She was very attentive to us, checking via phone and email regularly. And she welcomed all of my questions and concerns, listening to our situation and offering helpful suggestions.
• It’s not a magic cure. iLs never advertises itself as a magic cure for ADHD and SPD, and it’s not. Instead, the program is designed to be used continuously over several weeks, gradually helping clients improve focus, attention span, and self-control. I like that it’s part of an overall lifestyle change – one that we’ve really benefited from making.

Be sure to contact Integrated Listening Systems to learn about how the iLs Total Home Focus program can help your family! And learn more about music therapy for ADHD by following Integrated Listening Systems on social media:

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The post Integrated Listening Systems Music Therapy for ADHD appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

The kids had been up late the night before at a friend’s house and they got way too much stimulation.

They had soda.

They played on tablets.

They ate fried food.

Needless to say, Monday morning was a disaster. Everyone was groggy and Roo was downright aggressive. He had a complete tantrum after breakfast, which is highly unusual for him.

Yesterday, I decided to try a couple of tips I’d read about how to manage ADHD morning problems, and they really worked! In fact, we actually got some of our homeschool lessons done.

So, I’m passing them on today in the hopes that they’ll help any of you who have a hard time with your kids in the morning.

Image: Kzenon / Dollar Photo Club

Disclaimer: While this post contains information about diet and nutrition, this content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

How to Minimize ADHD Morning Problems

Let the kids set the tone in the morning.

It’s important that kids with ADHD get a good night’s sleep if they’re going to function the next day. So, if your kids have a late night or if they’re unusually groggy, don’t insist that they get up and run at full strength. Trust me, it will end in disaster.

Try to include a bit of flexibility in your daily routine for mornings like this. Instead of using hard and fast times, try to implement a “block” schedule or an order of subjects or activities. This will keep the kids from being slaves to the clock. (We’ll talk more about this scheduling method in tomorrow’s post.)

Serve a protein-packed breakfast.

Unfortunately, most commercial breakfast foods are loaded with sugar. This is unhealthy for all of us, but it is particularly dangerous for kids with ADHD. Since the ADHD brain tends to struggle with executive function, it’s already difficult for those of us who have it to focus and complete an assignment.

When we eat a lot of sugar, especially first thing in the morning, our distractibility, irritability, and hyperactivity become worse. The best way to start the day is with plenty of protein at breakfast. Foods such as lean meats, legumes, and nuts are excellent sources of protein and can make it easier for the brain to focus.

Try physical activity before beginning school.

Physical activity and ADHD go hand in hand. Getting physical exercise early in the day is a great way for overactive minds to gain some clarity. If you typically have P.E. in the afternoon, try to move it to the morning, especially if you’ll be teaching a subject that requires sustained focus such as math.

Or you can do what I did yesterday: Replace P.E. with household chores. Before breakfast, the kids did laundry and cleaned up the kitchen. Two for the price of one!

Do you struggle with your kids’ morning routine? How do you manage ADHD morning problems? Let us know in the comments!

Did you enjoy this post? Don’t miss these!

Plus, get more tips for managing ADHD in the family on my ADHD Tips Pinterest board!

The post Tips for Managing ADHD Morning Problems appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

If you’ve read any books about ADHD, you’ve probably seen the advice “Use a consistent schedule” again and again.

I know I have.

Based on what doctors know about this condition, having a regular routine is essential to keeping ADHD in check.

This is particularly true if you’re homeschooling, because you’ll have to come up with a schedule on your own and then stick to it.

We’ve tried several homeschooling schedules over the years, but most of them have been a terrible fit for our family.

It wasn’t until I started considering our kids’ ADHD that our homeschooling days began to take shape.

Find our tips for creating an ADHD daily routine for kids below!

Plus, see how to get a set of free printable daily routine checklist strips you can use with your kids!

And don’t miss our list of ADHD homeschool schedule ideas to try!

Tips for Making an ADHD Daily Routine for Kids

1. Get the kids involved in planning the routine.

Kids are far more likely to follow a schedule that they have a part in planning.

Ask them what school subjects they like the best and which ones they like the least. Alternate them on the schedule, and begin with one of the least-liked subjects first.

For example, Tigger doesn’t like math. We do that first everyday.

She knows that once it’s done correctly, she can get on to the subjects she enjoys. That generally motivates her to complete her assignments.

2. Make the routine easy to follow.

Another way to help kids stick with a daily routine is to make it easy to follow.

Make a schedule that uses pictures and short words and then post it somewhere visible in the house – in the hallway, on the refrigerator, or even in the kids’ rooms.

Grab our Daily Routine Cards to set up a daily schedule the kids can follow!

Go over the schedule with each child and make sure that he or she understands it.

Then institute it slowly – adding one subject or activity at a time until the kids remember which lesson comes next. Easing into the routine can help the kids avoid getting frustrated.

3. Use a timer for daily tasks.

One of the common symptoms of ADHD is the tendency to get overly involved in a single activity. While the kids might enjoy this at the time, it can cause you to lose track of your daily lessons and throw off your entire schedule.

Try to keep your lessons to 20 to 25 minutes and use a digital timer to let you know when to switch to a new subject.

If there’s a subject the kids really love, make room for that in the routine so that they don’t have to break off from a favorite activity before they’re ready.

In our family, Roo has a very hard time shifting his focus onto another subject once he gets started.

His favorite pretend play activity is building, so I make room for that by having him complete his schoolwork early in the day. Then he has as much time as he likes to play without having to make a sudden transition to a new activity.

Printable Daily Routine Checklist for Kids

One of the things I love the most about blogging is getting to know other parents who are raising children with ADHD.

In our ADHD Homeschooling Support group on Facebook, a reader had the brilliant idea of a printable daily checklist that she could use with her ADHD son.

I use a whiteboard for our day’s routine and we check off items as we go.

But the reader suggested a smaller checklist that could be cut apart into strips. Then you could hand them out as they go through the day.

That is GENIUS.

Since kids with ADHD can get overwhelmed by long to-do lists, using smaller strips is a great way to keep them motivated. So I’m excited to share a set of FREE daily routine checklist strips for kids!

These have lines that are large enough for you to write down the tasks or for the kids to write them on their own!

(Neat way to sneak in some handwriting practice.)

As you see, you can write the day at the top and then list up to four tasks underneath.

Need more strips for each day? No worries, just print as many as you need.

Want color choices? There are six in this pack!

You can print your checklist strips in blue, yellow, red, purple, green, or grey!

Need to use these checklist strips for items outside of schoolwork and chores?

They’re great for listing appointments and upcoming events too!

Since some kids with ADHD may be living with anxiety too, knowing what appointments are upcoming can do a lot to allay their fears.

To get your copy of these Printable Kids’ Daily Checklists, click the image or the link below to download them to your computer – free!

Do you use a daily routine for your kids with ADHD? How do you help them to stick to it? Share your suggestions in the comments!

Don’t miss these other great posts!

The post Creating an ADHD Daily Routine for Kids appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

I Googled and poked around some online sites and found a few great ones (I’ll be sharing those later in the series), but what I really wanted was a comprehensive book about ADHD that would explain the condition, let me know what to expect, and offer suggestions for how we could help Tigger manage her symptoms.

Of course, now that we’ve learned that most of us in the family have ADHD, I’ve had to do even more reading about it. Today I’m recommending my must-read books for ADHD homeschooling parents, but even if you’re not a homeschooling family, you’ll find some excellent advice and tips for managing ADHD in these resources.

My Must-Read Books for ADHD Homeschooling Parents

• Healing ADD Revised Edition: The Breakthrough Program that Allows You to See and Heal the 7 Types of ADD

This book by Dr. Daniel Amen has literally been a life changer for our family. In the book, Dr. Amen describes seven types of ADD, including hyper and inattentive versions. We found each of us in this book and we learned about the types of behaviors that are unique to each type.

For example, Tigger tends to show classic ADD symptoms, complete with hyperactivity, while Pooh displays the characteristics of limbic ADD – a type I had never heard of before. It was after reading this book that I decided to adjust our homeschool schedule to allow for a more gradual wake up routine in the morning.

We’ll be talking more about the different types of ADHD later this week. 

• Raising Girls with ADHD: Secrets for Parenting Healthy, Happy Daughters

Raising Girls with ADHD is a book specifically about helping young girls with the condition to understand their symptoms, manage their behavior, and build self-esteem. Tigger’s dealt with low self-esteem quite a lot over the years, especially when it comes to some of her harder school subjects, so this book was right up our alley!

Look for our full review and a giveaway later this month! 

• The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun, Revised Edition: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder

Since some of our children have sensory processing disorder, we try to incorporate sensory activities whenever possible. This book, a follow up to The Out-of-Sync Child, is packed with active, sensory-stimulating activities that are simple to do around the house. These activities have provided some great material for our homeschool P.E. classes!

• Women With Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life

I came across this book as I was just beginning to realize that I have ADHD. The author, Sari Solden, is also a woman living with ADD and she is incredibly compassionate and relatable as she describes the challenges and advantages of living with this condition.

As a homeschooling mom, I do the majority of the parenting and the teaching in our home and I really needed some help to understand my tendencies toward disorganization and procrastination. This book has really helped me to work with those tendencies, instead of trying to be “normal”.

• The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks

This ebook, written by homeschooling mom Heather Haupt, is a great way to add movement breaks into your homeschool day! We got a chance to review it a while back and our kids absolutely loved it! We schedule in brain breaks every day and the kids pay attention so much better after we take them.

Do you have any favorite books for ADHD homeschooling parents? Share your recommendations in the comments!

This post is part of our “31 Days of ADHD Homeschooling” series! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Day 3: Why ADHD Parents Should Let Go of the Homeschooling Ideal!

This post is also part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

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